About This Piece

Very Good — This vintage item has no defects, but it may show slight traces of use.

Restoration and Damage Details

Light wear consistent with age and use

Product Code

IAW-341914

Materials

Silver

Color

Silver

Height

4 cm 1.4 inch

Duties Notice

Import duty is not included in the prices you see online. You may have to pay import duties upon receipt of your order.

* Please note that items made of Rosewood are subject to a special export process that may extend the delivery time an additional 2 to 4 weeks

Shipping & Delivery

Shipping Method

Ground - 1 to 2 weeks

Ships from

Belgium

Duties Notice

Import duty is not included in the prices you see online. You may have to pay import duties upon receipt of your order.

Returns

Returns accepted within 14 days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

Delivery Details

Delivery will be completed by a parcel service such as UPS, DHL, or FedEx.

You will receive a tracking number to monitor the status of your shipment.

Delivery will take place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.

Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.

A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine the packaging upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damaged packaging, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note, take pictures, and—if the item inside shows damages—contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations regarding damaged packaging represents your acceptance of the completed order in perfect condition.

* Please note that items made of Rosewood are subject to a special export process that may extend the delivery time an additional 2 to 4 weeks

About the Designer

Piet Hein

Danish scientist, mathematician, inventor, artist, designer, philosopher, and poet Piet Hein was born in Copenhagen in 1905. Despite his brilliance—or because of it— he never completed a degree. He first enrolled in philosophy courses at the Metropolitan School (Metropolitanskolen) of Copenhagen, but left soon after to study art at a private academy and eventually the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (Kungliga Akademien för de Fria Konsterna) in Stockholm. Then, he returned to Copenhagen to study philosophy and theoretical physics at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet)—which would later be called The Niels Bohr Institute—and the Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet). Hein’s diverse educational background facilitated his life’s work, which straddled the line between art and science.

During World War II, Hein joined the Danish resistance to the German occupation and began to publish a series of poems in the daily newspaper, Politiken,under the pseudonym Kumbel Kumbell. These grooks—or Danish poems—were often coded messages to the Danish people not to succumb to evil, and generally contained philosophical advice on the art of living. He would go to publish thousands over his lifetime.

In the postwar era, Hein invented the superellipse—an advanced geometrical figure that combined the ellipse and rectangle—which he derived through the mathematics. Hein first used the superellipse to solve a traffic problem in Stockholm’s Sergel’s Square, in the form of an elliptical roundabout. The new oval-like shape was quickly adopted by postwar Scandinavian architects, and it has since then been used in buildings and urban planning worldwide, from Canada, Mexico, and the US, to France, Japan, and beyond.

Hein also used the superellipse in his industrial designs, including the Superellipse Tables (1968), designed in collaboration with Swedish architect-designer Bruno Mathsson (1907-1988) and Danish architect-designer Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) for the Danish manufacturer Fritz Hansen.

Other designs in Hein’s repertoire include sculptures, such as the Helix Helios Sundial (1989); various board games, such as Soma (1933) and Con-Tac-Tix (1942); and lighting fixtures, such as the Ra Lamp (1931) and Funco Table Lamp (1933). Hein’s Super-Egg (1965) is another elliptical design that has taken many different forms, including children’s toys, houseware, and lighting fixtures.

Throughout his life, Hein worked with and befriended several intellectual luminaries, including American mathematician Norbert Wiener, Danish physicist Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, and Charlie Chaplin. Hein received many awards and accolades, including the Aarestrup Medal (1969), the Danish ID Prize (1971), and Chapter of the Royal Danish Order of Chivalry (1989), among many others. In 1972, Yale University award Hein an honorary doctorate degree. Hein passed away in 1996.